BY THE WAYSIDE 
71 
less boys with guns. There are still 
other minor causes which could be tabu¬ 
lated under this list. 
Among the natural enemies of the 
j birds may be tabulated the following: 
the cat, the dog, the red squirrel, some 
hawks, the horned owl, the crow, the blue 
jay, the weasel, the skunk, the English 
} sparrow, the fox, the field mouse, the 
deer mouse, the shew and the mink. 
E Tlien there are the natural elements the 
birds have to contend with constantly. 
Such are the heavy snow falls, snow 
storms, blizzards, the heavy rains and 
storms in general. 
Past experiences have shown us, how¬ 
ever, that the birds’ natural enemies can¬ 
not possibly cause the extinction of bird 
life. If this were true, we should have 
seen the last of our smaller birds many 
i years ago, when the natural enemies of 
I the birds existed in large numbers and 
in great abundance everywhere. Man 
| today makes war upon the hawks, crows, 
i owls, foxes, etc., while the smaller pests 
and rodents upon which the above 
creatures feed, escape him. 
Herein, lies man’s greatest mistake. 
In a killing thus carried on these said 
| pests and rodents multiply very rapidly 
I and not only will they be destructive to 
birds, but inconceivable injury will also 
j result to all vegetation pertaining to 
f agricultural pursuits. Naturalists are 
u it' 
generally agreed that predacious birds 
i and animals (with a few exceptions) 
! should not be persecuted because of their 
‘economic value. Under normal condi- 
| dons these birds and animals are valu¬ 
able forces in nature, whose places could 
a ever be substituted by man. 
When analyzing the causes of the de¬ 
crease of birds we soon gain from the 
evidence at hand that man is the chief of 
I exterminators. And were we to follow 
Ee tactics of the yellow press, we would 
not hesitate to print thig*feaption in large 
red type. 
Aside from the fact that the song and 
presence of a pretty bird arouses within 
us a feeling of love and good cheer and 
that the game birds provide the hunter 
with a means of recreation, the signifi¬ 
cance of which only the true sportsman 
understands—man benefits chiefly by the 
ever persistent attack of birds upon in¬ 
sects, weeds and pests, which might 
otherwise do incalculable damage to 
grains, fruits, trees and other forms of 
vegetation. Statements of the food and 
insects eaten by various species of birds 
have appeared in The Wayside from 
time to time. 
At the present time this country ex¬ 
periences an annual loss of $1,200,000,000 
because of the depredations inflicted by 
injurious insects and rodents. On the 
other hand, the birds of the United 
States save to the farmer of every state 
combined a sum of $200,000,000 a year 
because of their incessant prey upon 
noxious weeds, harmful insects and more 
injurious rodent pests. The economic 
importance of birds to mankind as de¬ 
stroyers of noxious seeds and insects can¬ 
not be disputed. Hence, we speak of 
them as our feathered friends. 
The writer offers the following sug¬ 
gestions for the better protection of our 
feathered tribe: 
Arouse public sentiment by interest¬ 
ing both children and adults in the 
lives of birds. Instruct the children, 
our future citizens, in regard to the use- 
fuhress of song and insectivorous birds. 
Let bird houses be constructed by 
manual training classes and show the 
young people how the birds can be en¬ 
couraged about the home by providing 
suitable nesting places, food, water, 
shelter and protection. Observe “A 
Feast of All Birds’ Day” in every nook 
